Armour?
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CrmpetsNTea
Posts: 23 Member
Anyone else taking Armour? I was just diagnosed and put on Armour for my hypo, but I've been reading that there's a lot of people that prefer Synthroid because of dosing issues. Anyone else experience this? Any helpful tips?
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I used to take Armour (for years) and was recently put back on levo (Synthroid) because Armour was doing jack diddly for me. My doctor did say it was probably a dosing issue.
I would say keep an eye on your symptoms while taking Armour until your next endo appointment. If you feel an improvement, awesome! If you don't feel much better, ask about the dosage/trying levo instead. From what I understand, people react differently to the different drugs, and finding your dose/drug is more of an art than a science. For example, I have Hashimoto's, so my levels can change periodically, requiring new doses almost every time I go to the doctor.
Best wishes for feeling better! We can be friends if you like. I have been diagnosed for right around eight years, so maybe we can support each other.
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Many endocrinologists are anti-Armour because it requires adjusting dosage based on symptoms as well as on levels. My endo is anti-Cytomel, too. Even though my T3 was extremely low, it took me a year & a half to persuade him to give me Cytomel in addition to Synthroid.
I haven't pursued Armour because I don't eat pork.0 -
I take Armour and it has been far and above a better choice for me than levothyroxine was. I'm not sure what they would mean by dosing issues - conversion is pretty clearly established as both have been around for quite a while. Maybe it is because Armour has both T4 and T3 in it? T3 has a very short half life, so it is generally recommended to split the dosage of anything with T3 so as to get a more even dosage throughout the day.
I had a lot of issues getting the dose of my levothyroxine correct - still had basically all of my hypo symptoms even though my TSH looked correct, which is why I asked to be put on Armour.
If you have any further questions, feel free to friend/private message me. I've been working on this for quite a time.0 -
Because Armour is made from natural thyroid, it is actually quite difficult to ensure there is a consistent level of hormone in each pill. So, you may have a prescription for 75 mg, but in reality the pills in the bottle range from 73-77 mg. That does not affect everyone the same way; some people are fine with a slight variation and the added T3 can be helpful. Some people (like me) need a very consistent dose and Armour just does not provide that. It's not that one is better than the other, it all has to do with your body chemistry and your individual symptoms.0
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Because Armour is made from natural thyroid, it is actually quite difficult to ensure there is a consistent level of hormone in each pill. So, you may have a prescription for 75 mg, but in reality the pills in the bottle range from 73-77 mg. That does not affect everyone the same way; some people are fine with a slight variation and the added T3 can be helpful. Some people (like me) need a very consistent dose and Armour just does not provide that. It's not that one is better than the other, it all has to do with your body chemistry and your individual symptoms.
I don't believe this is actually correct anymore. This used to be an issue many years, but has not been one for quite some time due to developments in technology in the last 30 years or so.
Some people fare better on the synthetics, but many fare better on the naturals. My doc says that he finds his Hashi's patients prefer the naturals and fare better on them, but he can't exactly explain why. They should react similarly to a synthroid-cytomel regime, but some simply don't. He suspects it may be due either to some of the binders in the synthetics or the fact that the naturals also contain T1 and T2. Currently, docs don't really know what those do -- they don't believe they have a direct effect, but my doc suspects that they may have some indirect effect of which we're not currently fully aware.
Plus, for those with Hashi's which is the overwhelming majority of hypo patients, fluctuations are inherent in the disease due to its autoimmune nature -- and the amount that shows up in the tests isn't necessarily the true effective amount due to the antibodies (which may block a little or a lot of the effective hormones -- could be 5% or 95% -- there are currently no tests to determine this -- all you have are clinical symptoms). That's why many patients are interested in doctors that look to tests as well as symptoms. After all, if you're being treated with the correct amount, your hypo symptoms should mostly alleviate. If they're not, it seems to make sense that either you're not getting the right amount or there is something else going on that needs to be addressed. Docs that tell people that they're "within range" for their hormone levels while their patients still suffer with symptoms doesn't make much sense to me.
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In support of equality in medication.
Thyroid UK updated, 31.3.2015. in their booklet - Getting a diagnosis and starting treatment, page 14. three relevant statements.
1) "Thyroid UK has often hears that doctors state that, " There are no studies comparing desiccated thyroid (NDT) with levothyroxine". If your doctor this, give him a copy of Dr John Lowe's paper - 'Stability, Effectiveness and Safety of Desiccated Thyroid vs Levothyroxine' which can be found on our website:http://www.thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/TUK_PDFs/JohnLowe-BTA-Rebuttal.pdf
2) "Thyroid UK has also often heard that doctors tell their patients, "You never know how much of each hormone is in the tablets". THIS IS UNTRUE. NDT goes through and is tested to ensure that the correct amount of T4 and T3 is in each tablet. United States Pharmacopeia (USP) is the official public standards-setting authority for all prescription and over-the-counter medicines and other healthcare prescription and over-the-counter medicines and other healthcare products manufactured or sold in the United States. Thyroid USP state that thyroid tablets should contain not less than 90% and not more than 110% of the labelled amounts of levothyroxine and liothyronine, the labelled amounts being 38ug of levothyroxine and 9ug of liothyronine for each 65 mg of the labelled content of thyroid.
3) The American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have had concerns about potency and stability in brands of levothyroxine. In October 2007, the FDA announced that it is tightening its potency specifications for all levothyroxine (sodium) to ensure its potency over all its entire shelf life.
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End of text copied/I hope this helps to qualify the situation. NDT is no more at risk of dose fluctuation than any other thyroid pill, nor any other pill for any other ill available in the US. All pills may be + or -10%
When taking a pill, keep an open mind and use what feels to fit your personal needs, if you can get it. Until confident take copious notes.
Thank you.0 -
Awesome info fuzzipeg! I took Synthroid with Cytomel for 14 years. Yes, I had to fight to have the t3 added and yes the 1/2 life is short. I was blessed to find a compounding pharmacy that formulated an extended release t3 component and did pretty well on that for several years. Just recently, I've felt under medicated, had tests run, they looked oK but opted to try Naturethyroid twice per day. I never tried it before now because what I was taking was doing OK. I often told myself I'd try it if ever the synthetic stopped working well for me.I I have been VERY happy so far. I feel much more smooth and even. This is a BIG deal for me because previously I felt short tempered and on-edge (no, I wasn't over-medicated). Best wishes as you figure things out. Keep an open mind and don't "settle"! ;-)0
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Wow, thanks for the info everyone! I stand corrected. I still think that the OP should track their symptoms and how they feel. Some people just react differently to the different drugs and it does take some patient advocacy to try switching meds and seeing how that feels in comparison. 0
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I for one am pleased to try to help. My issues are complex and very long lived, so If I can help anyone shorten the time they suffer by getting current date or still relevant information out there I'll be more than happy.
ramsounds, please do not feel corrected as such. Please, only a little better informed and we can all take more true information which may relate to ourselves. We all have been guilty of putting all our trust into our hard pressed medics. I learned distrust because of being repeatedly failed. If you are in the US please take a look at your "Stop the thyroid Madness" web site or the new ish book, this is a very good place to start trying to improve your symptoms. (Other countries probably have their own support sites, STTM is also useful to us). The first thing I would do is seek out the list of medics STTM have by area and try to get myself onto the books of someone who is very good. Be aware, without this list you will feel as if you are seeking "hens teeth".
Do what is right for you.0 -
OP should track their symptoms and how they feel. Some people just react differently to the different drugs and it does take some patient advocacy to try switching meds and seeing how that feels in comparison.
QFT (quoted for truth). Everybody's different, and what works for each of us changes over time. As if thyroid disease isn't tough enough, oftentimes doctors do not listen. (Perhaps because thyroid patients are mostly women?)
Advocate for yourself! Learn about your treatment options (Armour, Synthroid, or Synthroid + Cytomel), and don't let your doctor dismiss, ignore, or mansplain your symptoms. You deserve to feel better!0 -
editorgrrl wrote: »OP should track their symptoms and how they feel. Some people just react differently to the different drugs and it does take some patient advocacy to try switching meds and seeing how that feels in comparison.
QFT (quoted for truth). Everybody's different, and what works for each of us changes over time. As if thyroid disease isn't tough enough, oftentimes doctors do not listen. (Perhaps because thyroid patients are mostly women?)
Advocate for yourself! Learn about your treatment options (Armour, Synthroid, or Synthroid + Cytomel), and don't let your doctor dismiss, ignore, or mansplain your symptoms. You deserve to feel better!
I wonder about that too, Editorgrrl. Of my 5 failed docs, one was a woman and she was just as dismissive as the other 3 (1 male doc did think something was off but said it was beyond his expertise, so he sent me to an endo which ended up being a total dead end as he was a TSH-only endo).
I think a lot of it is that it's just not something a lot of docs know a lot about and the lack of treatment isn't as dramatic for others. Especially if you're talking weight gain and fatigue -- so many people are so much fatter these days, that I think this symptom falls on deaf ears for sure. At my heaviest, I was only 30 lbs overweight and I had one doc tell me that was essentially nothing -- he deals with patients that have 100+ lbs to lose, so my 30 wasn't even on his radar -- just more of the eat less and move more rhetoric. I think Western Medicine is so focused on crisis, that they don't take a lot of these symptoms seriously until they hit crisis levels. I imagine that's also somewhat driven by (at least in the US) our broken healthcare/insurance system. Insurance doesn't often cover a lot of preventative/wellness issues -- it only kicks in when stuff gets pretty bad for these sorts of things. It's so backwards and so broken.
That's why I'm so happy to see some Western docs starting to gravitate more to a holistic, functional or integrative approach. The downside is that to access a lot of these folks, you often have to pay out of pocket, so that limits access from a lot of the population.
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bluepotatoes66 wrote: »I take Armour and it has been far and above a better choice for me than levothyroxine was. I'm not sure what they would mean by dosing issues - conversion is pretty clearly established as both have been around for quite a while. Maybe it is because Armour has both T4 and T3 in it? T3 has a very short half life, so it is generally recommended to split the dosage of anything with T3 so as to get a more even dosage throughout the day.
I had a lot of issues getting the dose of my levothyroxine correct - still had basically all of my hypo symptoms even though my TSH looked correct, which is why I asked to be put on Armour.
If you have any further questions, feel free to friend/private message me. I've been working on this for quite a time.
THIS. Same story for me and armour has been a miracle; literally brought me back to life. I've been on it for almost two years and no dosage issues at all for me.
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Read my comment that I submitted on May 13th regarding Armour. It is the best thing I ever did. Most all of my symptoms that I had been experiencing for a number of yrs just disappeared once on Armour. Only 2 adjustments has been made and the dosage has been perfect for me. I went from 30mg to 1gm and settled on 45mg. It was just right. Good luck on this.0
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I started out on Armour in about 1982. Did pretty well on it. Then it was pulled from the market and I was put on Synthroid. UGH It was a battle from then on. Until last year I did not know Armour was back on the market. I talked my PCP=Primary Care Physician to put me on it and I feel fantastic. My hair has quit falling out, my skin is not as alligator dry, I am not hurting all over. I sleep well and have great energy. AND my heart rate has gone from high 80's to 90's down to low 70's. My body is so happy right now with Armour. On Levo or Synthroid my heart pounds in my back and fast. Hate that.
I do take my pill once a day. Well kind of in the middle of the night. Any time I wake up to pee after 4AM I take it. This keeps it away from the calcium in my coffee. Levo and synthroid can both be chewed and taste sweet. Not so much the Armour. YUCK. I only say this because those of you on the levo or shythroid can also keep their pills in bedside table and take them in the night. IT does not keep me awake at all to do this.
If Armour it to be dosed by symptoms then I am spot on for my dose which is 90. I think when I was first on it I was taking a higher dose. But every one needs to find their dose and not always does the blood work tell the truth. It might give you numbers but it can not tell the docs how you feel.
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